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The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Hannah Tetteh, has urged member states of ECOWAS to continue to harmonise their national policies and procedures that relate to the free movement of persons, goods and services. That, she stated, would ensure the proper management of migration issues within the sub-region to enable both origin and destination countries to gain the desired benefits. �For us to enhance the benefits of implementing strategies to mainstream migration and development into our national policies, we need to harmonise our national policies and procedures to ensure the free movement of persons, goods and services,� she stated. Migration dialogue Speaking at the Ministerial Meeting of Migration Dialogue for West Africa (MIDWA) in Accra yesterday, Ms Tetteh stated, �When we give sober consideration to the ECOWAS protocols on the Free Movement of Persons, its rationale, issues of convergence and divergence among us will, no doubt, inure to our benefit.� The two-day meeting, on the theme: �Free movement of persons for regional integration and economic cooperation�, is being attended by migration experts, including Foreign Affairs ministers, from across West Africa. It is aimed at helping the participants to deliberate on how to conceptualise migration to fit into the broad development agenda at the national level of member states of ECOWAS. The event is being organised by ECOWAS and funded by the EU and the Swiss Government. Migration is a global trend Ms Tetteh said migration was commonplace in the world today due to the growing and intensive economic, political, security and socio-cultural interdependence among states and non-state actors. According to her, most member countries of ECOWAS experienced immigration and emigration in varying proportions, such that each country could be classified as an �origin, transit or destination country�. �Human mobility is also one defining feature of today�s world, affirming the right of freedom of movement,� she said. She indicated that human capital, like funds, could not be prevented from crossing national borders and that the best option �at our disposal is to manage migration properly to optimise its benefits, while minimising its negative impact�. Rapid population changes The Head of the European Union Delegation to Ghana, Ambassador Claude Maerten, said with a fast-growing, young and increasingly urban population, West Africa was undergoing rapid population changes which were having important effects on migration patterns. �When this mobility takes places in a safe and orderly manner, it is also associated with improved outcomes in terms of health, education, gender equality and women empowerment and can help communities prevent or cope with environmental degradation,� he said. He added that it was increasingly clear that the free movement of persons within the sub-region was crucial for regional economic integration and the development of West Africa. He was delighted that the EU and the ECOWAS Commission signed a 26-million Euro financing arrangement in April 2013 for a project aimed at maximising the benefits from the free movement of persons within West Africa.